Firkus Firing on All Cylinders to Start the Season
November 2, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Moose Jaw Warriors News Release
Jagger Firkus has put together a start to the season unlike any seen before in the Moose Jaw Warriors' 40 seasons.
Through 14 games this season, Firkus has 16 goals and 29 points, which are among the leaders in the Western Hockey League.
"Right from the start of training camp, he's been excellent," Warriors head coach Mark O'Leary said.
Firkus' 16 goals in 14 games to start the season is one of the hottest starts in the last decade for the Warriors.
When Jayden Halbgewachs tied the franchise record with 70 goals in the 2017-18 season, he opened the season with seven goals in his first 14 games, while Dryden Hunt's 58-goal season in 2015-16 started with 11 goals in 14 games.
Firkus played one preseason game for the Warriors, putting up three goals and six points before heading to training camp with the Seattle Kraken.
Since return to Moose Jaw, Firkus hasn't let off the gas, posting points in 13 of 14 games, including the last 10 games. He is also riding a six-game goal streak with 11 goals over that stretch, including two hat tricks.
The reigning WHL Player of the Week said he came into this season with a shooting mindset.
"I've been shooting the puck a lot this year, which with my shot, it's going to go in eventually," Firkus said. "That's my mindset, when I get the puck, either I'm making a pass or I'm shooting off the pass."
That mindset seems to be working for the fourth-year forward. Firkus is currently second in the WHL in goals, tied for second in points and third in shots with 73.
O'Leary said Firkus is a player that the Warriors can lean on in every situation.
"It's not just his play with the puck, we see the goals, but his work on the penalty kill, five-on-five situations and in big moments in the D zone, he's a guy that we lean on, we trust and he's a driver for our team," he said.
After leading the team in scoring each of the past two seasons and adding an 'A' to his jersey this season, Firkus said he prides himself in being a leader of the team.
"A big part of my game this year is to be a leader throughout the whole season," he said. "Obviously to start off the way I have, it's important to me, it's important to the team, so I hope I can keep moving like this moving forward."
Firkus and the Warriors are heading to Alberta this weekend for two games, starting on Friday in Edmonton.
Western Hockey League Stories from November 2, 2023
- Blazers Announce Fraser Minten as Captain - Kamloops Blazers
- Firkus Firing on All Cylinders to Start the Season - Moose Jaw Warriors
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- Americans Beat Giants 4-1 - Vancouver Giants
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